David Oladimeji
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has recorded a landslide victory in the December 13 local government elections in Borno State, winning all chairmanship and councillorship positions across the state’s 27 Local Government Areas.
The results were formally announced on Monday in Maiduguri by the Chairman of the Borno State Independent Electoral Commission (BOSIEC), Alhaji Tahiru Shettima, at a press briefing attended by electoral officials, security agencies and party representatives.
Shettima said the list of chairmen-elect had earlier been declared by returning officers in their respective local government areas before being collated and ratified by the commission at its headquarters.
According to him, the commission provided a level playing field for all political parties interested in participating in the exercise, stressing that BOSIEC did not impose any restrictions or administrative barriers on contestants.
He disclosed that despite several stakeholder engagements and sensitisation meetings ahead of the polls, only six political parties eventually fielded candidates for the election.
“I think the commission has done its best.
The election was free, fair, inclusive and transparent,” Shettima said, adding that all returning officers were drawn from reputable academic institutions and the technocratic community.
The BOSIEC chairman explained that results announced at the local government levels were transmitted to the commission’s headquarters for aggregation before the final declaration of winners.
He described the election as peaceful and successfully concluded, noting that the contests reflected keen participation by candidates across the participating parties.
Shettima urged the newly elected chairmen to justify the confidence reposed in them by delivering people-oriented governance and prioritising the provision of basic social amenities at the grassroots.
He also observed that voter turnout underscored the relevance of local government administration to the daily lives of citizens, saying it showed growing interest in grassroots political participation.
The BOSIEC chairman commended the Armed Forces, the Nigeria Police and other security agencies for their professionalism and support, which he said contributed significantly to the smooth conduct of the elections.
The election was contested by six political parties, including the APC, New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Labour Party (LP) and the People’s Redemption Party (PRP).
